PICK UP YOUR COPY EVERY MONTH AT MORE THAN 300 LOCATIONS INCLUDING: Vol. 1 - Issue 5
November 2018
Dan Savoie Publisher / Editor dan@519magazine.com April Savoie Director of Sales april@519magazine.com Kim Cushington Art Director
RIK EMMETT
Exclusive Photographers Kirk Harris Maureen Stewart
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Writers and Photographers Jose Ed Ramirez Brent Groh John Liviero
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LESLIE McCURDY
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Rik Emmett A lifetime of triumphs
Story by Dan and April Savoie
Rik Emmett Wolf Performance Hall, London Nov. 28
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Iconic Canadian guitarist Rik Emmett has been a fixture of Canadian rock radio for decades whether as a solo artist or with multi-platinum band Triumph. His hit songs are considered essential Canadian listening - essentials like Lay It On The Line, Hold On and Magic Power are patriotic screams of the 70s and 80s. We sat down with Rik to chat about his upcoming Q&A session and acoustic performance in London this month at Wolf Performance Hall on Nov. 28. You’re coming to London for an “Evening of Stories”. What do you have planned for that night? Well I intend to leave it up to the host who is a guy named Cameron Smiley, and it’s kind of a one on one interview format. He asks questions about different things that have happened in my career and in my life and sort of sets the stage for stuff. So then later on the audience gets a chance to question and answer and I’ve got a guitar handy and if there’s a few things that lead me towards wanting to illustrate something or just play something or somebody makes a request or something that I might illustrate by playing some guitar. But yeah that’s basically the format. I’ve done this a few times before with Cameron up in Orillia and once in Brantford, so pretty comfortable pretty easy relaxed and it’s fun. The one in Orillia was kind of amazing. There was a friend of mine that had been with me in high school who sat beside me when I played violin in the orchestra and stuff, and there was a teacher that was an English teacher of mine from high school who’s husband had been one of the football coaches of the football team I was on when I was only 14 years old. She brought pictures and stuff. So I mean I don’t know if anybody in London is going to pop out of the crowd and go ‘hey remember me’, but it could happen. You never know. I’m sure you get a million Triumph questions at shows like the upcoming one and in your forum. Do you ever get tired of talking about a band that hasn’t been active for about 25 years? Good question because guess what’s happening right now. (laughs) Some guys are making a documentary right now and so there’s been a guy that’s been interviewing and the production company that’s doing this for a bit. They’re called Banger Films and they’re doing this thing they’ve done with Rush, Alice Cooper and Metallica. They make these things and they put them on HBO or The Movie Network, so they did and do tons of research and they ask all these questions. So it never really ever goes away. And the answer to your question is I’m human so sometimes yes
it bugs me, but most of the time I’m a fairly reasonable kind of human being so I can kind of look at it and go ‘well I can understand why people have a fascination with it’. It was a type of kind of commercial success on a fairly high level. You kind of become famous on more than one level. I was the rock star wearing spandex pants, jumping around and all of that stuff in the 70s and 80s. I also wrote in Guitar Magazine and then I had a career of my own where I made like 20 some odd albums after I left Triumph. I kept very active as a musician and a performer. I even taught college for over 20 years. Do you think that you’ll get together again with the guys for another song? No I doubt it. I mean it’s kind of ridiculous to say no, but I said that to myself when I left the band in 1988 and you know for a couple of decades saying no never seemed enough. And then what happened in 2006/2007. Oh jeez, we got together. There was a thing that happened were my younger brother got cancer and was really sick and was on his way out of this life. And he’s going through that process of sort of trying to put his affairs in order and make sure that he’s leaving nothing undone or unsaid and he sits me down and says ‘you know you can’t keep carrying around that baggage about Triumph. You got to fix that.’ And I said, ‘How can you be such an asshole that you’re going to make this be about me. Don’t do this to me.’ And he said ‘if you want to make me happy I want you to see if you can fix that.’ Oh my God. I started talking through intermediaries and there was a thing about putting us in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, so one thing led to another and we started talking about if we were going to play a gig. So we went to Sweden and played a show and then went down the Oklahoma and played a show. So all of the things that I had said no that’s never going to happen; they happened. You better never say never because you never know what’s in store or what will happen when you turn a corner. So I try not to do too much predicting, but having said all that, Gil (Moore) is not really keen on playing drums anymore. You know he really isn’t. And why would I want to force him to do something he’s not keen on. You know it was a very tough gig for him - he sang half the songs and played all the drums. Playing drums in a hard rock band is like running a marathon. You know the amount of work that you have to do is it’s ridiculous. So I don’t blame him for saying no I don’t want to do that again.” Join Rik for tons of great stories and a little music when he stops at the state of the art Wolf Performance Hall on Nov. 28 for another edition of the Artist Life Stories Series, a show being described as 50 years in Canadian music history - an intimate evening of story telling and songs. Tickets are $30 and available at Ticketfly online.
Hamlet Heads to Wall Street in a New Ghost Light Players Production By Dan Savoie Although it’s not a comedy, Ghost Light Players director Jeffery Bastien says his upcoming production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet is partly inspired by the movie Strange Brew. That’s the one where Canada’s most famous hosers, Bob and Doug McKenzie, get jobs at the Elsinore Brewery, only to learn that something is rotten with the state of it. “I’ve seen Branagh’s, some of Mel Gibson’s, some of Ethan Hawke’s, and the latest in Stratford, but I’ve been avoiding other productions as I don’t want to be influenced,” Bastien told 519 Magaine. “I haven’t seen one that’s taken the route I have, so they can only give me limited assistance. I guess my willingness to go a different direction would be most influenced by Strange Brew! Having said that: our production isn’t a comedy!” This new reimaging of Hamlet is set to take the stage at the all-new Walkerville Arts Centre at 1519 Wyandotte St., E. in Windsor from Nov. 23 to Dec. 1. The Ghost Light production will place the Hamlet story inside a Wall Street environment filled with greed, power, survival and corruption. It’s an approach to the story Bastien has wanted to stage for years.
“We live in a time where we’re modern and physical approach not mostly ignorant of what’s happening used by many in a Shakespearean above us,” he explained. “By above environment. us, I mean the hyper-wealthy, that “I have taken a very physical 1% that couldn’t care less about us. and movement based approach,” There is such a schism between us Bastien said. “I started GLP with the and them that it is a new form of intention of going in this direction, royalty. Oligarchy is a new form and, for all the shows I’ve directed of feudal state. We can see Disney for this Company, one can see a growing like we saw the USSR grow through-line of physicality. What do in our lifetime, or British, or the I mean by Physical and Movement Romans. Corporations are People based? I mean Anne Bogart and and cluster can be seen as Countries, Tina Landau’s Viewpoints system, and war is happening all the time. with some of Michael Chekhov’s In that world, your problems and physical work, some of Meyerhold’s my problems are ineffectual Biomechanics. All of this is and trite; their problems taught at the University of have consequences felt Windsor and now I’m around the world. blessed to work with But the thing is, a lot of their students these Corporations and grads. And my Walkerville Arts still have people in veteran actors have Centre, Windsor them, and people been following me Nov. 23 - Dec. 1 still have these base on this path since urges. Greed, power, 2014 when I started survival, loyalty, directing “Bug”. Now, corruption, lust - all of that’s not to mean that this exists and influences and it’ll be a dance show, but I is magnified by those absurdly huge have made every effort to make the circumstances. Still, at the end of the text a catalyst for kinetic response, day, that world is alien to us, much not loving ourselves for speaking the like the Court of Kings and Queens Bard’s Verse. I want the audience would’ve been alien to anyone in the to see powerful images that convey Globe Theatre.” the themes, the ideas we’re trying to Bastien is giving the show a very express through our bodies, as me
move through the text. The text is the spine and the cast makes it organic, adds the visceral.”
Hamlet opens at the new Walkerville Arts Centre on Nov. 23 and runs until Dec. 1.
Hamlet
Hamlet left to right: Chris Lanspeary (Claudius) Jeremy Burke (Hamlet) Kristen Lamoure-Dias (Gertrude) photo by Jeremy Burke
canadian punk rockers headstones revive picture of health on anniversary tour By Dan and April Savoie
a full set of Picture of Health,” bassist Tim White told 519 Magazine. “After Canada has never produced a punk that we’ll come back and plow though band as legendary as The Sex Pistols, a handful of newer songs and maybe but Kingston band Headstones are even throw in what we’re working about as close as it gets. The hard on right now to bring it completely rockers burst onto the scene with the to the present. It’s kind of cool to do explosive debut album Picture of all those old songs because Health in 1993, scoring a there are at least three platinum album and two or four that we’ve hit singles. barely ever played. Like all great It actually turned punk bands, they out to be a really broke up after a fun challenge for Picture of Health Tour decade together us and the band and went their is sounding really Waterloo - Dec. 4 separate ways. cool right now. I London - Dec. 6 The band got think the fans will together again in be surprised and 2011 for a few gigs pretty happy with the and started recording whole show.” new albums with a feverish Picture of Health was pace, including last year’s rocker recently re-released in a special Little Army and a hit song Devil’s On remastered version with four bonus Fire. In 2018, the band is celebrating tracks, including a re-recording of one the 25th anniversary of Pictures of of their earliest songs Skin Me Alive. Health this month and is hitting the “I don’t think we’d ever write road to celebrate. The tour starts at a song like Skin Me Alive today,” FirstOntario Concert Hall in Hamilton added guitarist Trent Carr. “It felt on Nov. 1 and includes stops at really weird to play that one again Maxwell’s in Waterloo on Dec. 4 and after all these years. We dropped that London Music Hall on Dec. 6. song after our first tour and I don’t “I’m really looking forward to doing remember ever playing it again. It was
a different group of people that put that together and a different time for the band and when we recorded that I tried to stay close to the original because we’d never write it that way if we were to do it today.” The remaster also contains the original demo for the hit song When Something Stands For Nothing.
“The album came out in 1993, but we were writing songs as early as 1988 and we’d sit at home and just play them on acoustic guitars,” Trent remembered. “So a lot of the songs like When Something Stands For Nothing would actually start out as folk songs, for lack of a better term, and then they just got heavier through
the process of demoing and eventually we’d get to the amp’d up live version with all its power.” Fans will get to hear Picture of Health in its entirety on the new tour when it hits the 519 in early December. They perform at Maxwell’s in Waterloo on Dec. 4 and London Music Hall on Dec. 6.
Headstones
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Story by April Savoie
Liona Boyd - STILL PLAYING FOR THE FANS
Most artists might be lucky enough to publish one autobiography, let alone two, but classical guitarist Liona Boyd’s life is so rich with career milestones, professional achievements, and personal moments that she has already filled two volumes, with enough unused material for a third. The “First Lady of The Guitar” has enthralled millions with her romantic and unique brand of classical, folk and world music and still shows little signs of slowing down, even at the golden age of 69. She has performed solo and orchestral concerts around the world and heads to Guelph, London and Sarnia this month for a series of concerts promoting her latest album and autobiography titled No Remedy For Love. Liona sat down with 519 Magazine and had a chat about some of the memories in her autobiographies and a special/not-so-special memory of London. “I’d been staying with Pierre Trudeau in Ottawa and he gave me Liona Boyd Guelph - Nov. 9 stomach flu,” she recalled. “I had to London - Nov. 13/14 do a concert and I was really sick, Sarnia - Nov. 15 but I looked amazing and I played it anyway. I remember talking to him afterwards and saying you know I got it from you and he said it couldn’t
have been him, but it was. I guess it wasn’t a fond memory, but people saw it because it went all around the world as Liona Live in London. People thought it was London, England, but it was actually London, Ontario. It wasn’t meant to be, but it came across as a bit deceptive.” Her 519 heritage is pretty strong. She’s previously recorded with Sarnia singer and Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield and this time out she’s decided to bring Waterloo singer and guitarist Andrew Dolson, who’s known for his passion for music and guitar. “There will be some really good shows out there in the 519,” she added. “It’s going to be inspiring. I’m going to tell some stories and you’ll get to meet Andrew - he’s my protégé and he’s from the 519; he’s a local boy from Waterloo and he’s really good.” Liona has been a performing artist for more than 40 years, but things almost came crashing to a halt when she discovered she had focal task-specific dystonia, an unusual movement disorder that affects musicians specifically when they perform on their instruments. Dystonia in professional musicians is a disorder that is accompanied by a loss in
fine motor control while playing a musical instrument. About 25% of all musicians who have the disorder have to give up their instrument. Liona was in the other 75% and after a six year hiatus, got back on the road. But she says she might have to look at retiring sometime in the near future. “I was absolutely devastated when it happened because I thought I was going to have to lose my career, but wonders never cease,” she revealed. “I’ve done about 200 concerts since coming back, but I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be doing it. I knew it was my place to travel, but it’s a bit tiring sometimes. I may decide after this tour, that’s it. I’m not sure if that might be the last chance people will have to see me, but you never know. There’s a certain thrill that you get being on the stage and being able to inspire people - and that means a lot to me. I feel it’s my duty to give back because I had such a great life.” Liona will play for her 519 fans at least one more time when she visits the River Run Centre in Guelph on Nov. 9, London Aeolian Hall on Nov. 13 and 14 and Sarnia Imperial Theatre on Nov. 15. The first London show has sold-out, but some tickets remain for all other shows.
Jody Raffoul: Looking Back on Life at 9 Wigle Street in Leamington Story by Dan Savoie Jody Raffoul is and will always be the pure definition of Leamington. A home grown rocker loaded with tons of talent and a unique passion for the little municipality he calls home. It’s fitting that the release of his first album in 10 years will get its official release at a three-day party at The Bank Theatre Nov. 30 to Dec. 2. The album, simply called “9 Wigle St., Leamington Ontario”, is a testament to the last 10 years. It was recorded inside his home and tells tales of love, divorce, children and life in and around 9 Wigle Street. “Everything that I am is Leamington,” he told 519 Magazine. “I am beyond proud to be from Leamington. 9 Wigle St. is where I grew up, and when my life took a crazy turn in 2008 I ended up back at 9 Wigle St. again for a few years actually five of them. We always grow and change with the times, at least somewhat, but my albums have always been autobiographical. So, to be honest, it’s not all that different this time out. I have never been able to separate my music from my life or vice versa. I have learned to come to grips with that and actually celebrate that because there’s no bullshit. Here it is, this is me naked and not afraid...you know?” His Leamington pride shines through when asked about what his hometown means to him.
“Leamington humbles you,” Jody Los Angeles chasing a dream like a lot said. “It is a melting pot in the truest of people do. He was in his mother’s sense. When I was a kid I was forced to stomach at the time and my choice then understand how Germans and Italians was to do what I knew best and that was and Portuguese and French and to be with my family. So, I said to many other cultures did what myself music has always been they did because there were my life and it can go with so many of us living in me wherever the fuck I am. Jody Raffoul the same neighborhoods. I will not forsake at least The Bank Theatre, Most of us were labourers trying to give my family Leamington most of us worked for the best I can for chasing Nov. 30 - Dec. 2 farmers who supplied rockstar dreams. So that’s Heinz with their tomatoes what I did.” and their pickles. We came Raffoul did get to live out from different walks of life. So if one of his rockstar dreams when you got to coexist you better learn about he shared the stage with Bon Jovi for a other cultures and we did and for that we concert at Giants Stadium in New Jersey became more understanding of each other in 2005. and to me that’s real education and all that “We got to the stadium and one thing comes out in the music and in the way I I remember was that there were about approach what I do when I am on stage 1000 people there to see our band from or when I am writing songs or when I am the Detroit/Windsor/Leamington area in the studio. It’s true working class. So, and there were 81,000 people looking that’s how it affects me as a performer and at us like who the fuck are these guys? a writer.” Now get the heck off the stage so we At the peak of his career 25 years ago can scream for Bon Jovi please! It was he was in Los Angeles living his rock and a harsh reality, but of course we were roll dream when he decided to pack his happy to be there.” bags and come back to Leamington to be Jody will perform at The Bank Theatre there for his firstborn son Billy. in Leamington for three nights, Nov. 30 “What keeps me here now is wisdom to Dec. 2 with his son, Billy opening. and experience, but what kept me here 25 Friday night is already sold-out, but some years ago was the birth of my first son tickets remain for Saturday and Sunday. I made a choice,” Jody recalled. “When Tickets are $35 and include a copy of the I was my first son Billy’s age I was in new CD.
For the Complete Interview visit us at 519Magazine.com
Photo by Maureen Stewart (K&M Photography)
LESLIE McCURDY CELEBRATES TWO DECADES OF PLAYS WITH NEW FILM By Dan and April Savoie
Windsor actor, playwright and dancer Leslie McCurdy is the subject of the film On the Money, which held its premiere at Windsor International Film Festival on Oct. 30. The film explores her continuing quest to tell the story of two prominent black women who are set to be commemorated on currency: Viola Desmond and Harriet Tubman. She’s celebrating the film’s release with a special party at Sho Studios in Windsor on Nov. 3. McCurdy has spent the last two decades performing her plays The Spirit of Harriet Tubman and Things My Foresisters Saw — which includes a portrayal of Desmond — to audiences across Canada and the United States. She became the subject of a film when filmmakers Pat Jeflyn and Kim Kristy of Canadian Arts Productions approached her about the subject. We had a chat with Leslie before the film’s debut. How did the documentary come about? In early 2017 I contacted Pat and asked if she and Kim could help me to document my 20th year of performing “The Spirit of Harriet Tubman”. At about that same time it was announced that Viola Desmond would be the face of the new Canadian $10 bill. I made a joke about how “on the money” I had been about the women that I chose to perform 20 years ago and that is when Pat and Kim conceived the idea to do a documentary film on me and the work I do performing the stories of these women. Was it hard or uncomfortable having a film crew follow you? The whole concept of having a film done about me has been really weird. Pat and Kim are very good at what they do, however, and they did it discreetly. I have done quite a bit of film work so it wasn’t completely unfamiliar and almost everything had to be done in one take because it was “in the moment”, but ya, just the thought of being the subject of a movie was the strangest aspect of it to me. Pat and Kim are pretty experienced journalists, so I’m sure you weren’t worried about the quality or being portrayed correctly. Tell me about working with them specifically. I had worked with Pat and Kim some years
ago on a project of theirs and I found them great to work with, very laid back yet precise. We had a good time! I allowed that it was their story to tell once they took it on and I trusted in that. I know their previous work has been good, in part because of their attention to detail, and one thing I “preach” when I am mentoring in theatre is the “the devil is in the details”. I haven’t seen the movie yet so I am interested to see how they observe me. You’ve known Harriet and Viola for long time. How did you first “meet” them and when did they become a part of your life? Ah, I have known Harriet almost all of my life! I first read about her in grade five and she has been my personal hero ever since. At every level of my education, right through my degree, I would find a way to do a paper, report, monologue, whatever, about Harriet Tubman. That’s my girl! Viola I only met 20 years ago when I got ready to write about her. My original concept for “Things My ForeSisters Saw” was going to be about prominent Black women in the US, Madam C. J. Walker, Mary Church Terrell, Ida B Wells and Rosa Parks, but a friend of mine, Preston Chase, suggested that I do it on “Canada’s Rosa Parks” and other women in Canadian Black History. My first response was, “Huh? We have that?” having never learned anything about Black history in Canada in school, and never thinking that my own family’s accomplishments would fall under that. So then I set out to meet all of the women that he suggested, Marie-Joseph Angelique, Rose Fortune, Mary Ann Shadd - whose accomplishment is local and “Canada’s Rosa Parks”, Viola Desmond, although I am of the school that suggests that Rosa Parks was the United State’s Viola Desmond since she came first. What do Harriet and Viola mean to you personally? A living! I mean a girl’s gotta eat! (Laughter) A friend teases about how my “little play” about Harriet Tubman has done so well that she continues to “save” me. No, but seriously, all of the women that I portray, were very independent in their thought and behavior and operated from that in how they lived their lives. In retrospect we consider what they accomplished significant although at the time they were just doing what they do. I like to think that I have similarity with them in that way. In particular to Harriet Tubman, the play, “The Spirit of Harriet Tubman” is about over coming your fear and believing in yourself, which is something her story reminds me of constantly. If Harriet Tubman could accomplish all that she did for herself and others, then I can certainly travel and tell her story, and what I have learned from it, by my self, something that many people say that On The Money Leslie’s After Party I am very brave to do. Sho Studios They died many Nov. 3 years ago. Do you feel their spirits are with you? Well, does the title “The Spirit of Harriet Tubman” give you a clue - lol! Yes. I actually invite the spirits of the women I portray to “ride my shoulders”
to help me “live” their stories well before each performance. I stand upon the shoulders of all of them, as revered ancestors, and always want to make sure I pay proper tribute to the humanity in them. Ironically, I believe that it is within our spirit that our humanity is found. Has any of Harriet’s or Viola’s family seen you perform? I don’t know if any of Harriet Tubman’s family has seen me perform although early in my career I almost got a chance to perform for the Harriet’s great-grand daughter. Harriet had an adopted daughter. I met with Viola Desmond’s sister, Wanda Robson, when I was researching for my play “Things My Fore-Sisters Saw” that Viola Desmond is in. The film captures us becoming reacquainted after 20 years and her seeing me perform her sister for the first time. She told me that she was going to say it like the youngsters in calling my performance “awesome!”. There must be a bit of satisfaction knowing Viola made it to the $10 bill? I don’t know if I would call it satisfaction. I would call it pride in that there is a Canadian woman on a Canadian bill note, finally, and what they called in the 60’s, “race pride”, in that it happens to be a Black woman. I am proud that I can share her story so that people know how brave she was in “taking a seat” against racism especially while she was alone. She, like me, traveled alone to further her business so I know how scary that in of itself can be sometimes and then to decide to do something that was sure to incite distain. Hmmm... Now that I think about it maybe there is a bit of satisfaction that she was
rewarded for her courage in this way. Hopefully we’ll get to see Harriet on the US $20 at some point. I certainly hope so but with the resurgence of the racial tensions in the US being stirred up by the current administration I’m not confident it will happen any time soon. Both those bills are not only important for black history, but also for women in general. You sure know how to pick the right ladies to re-enact. Being that Black history IS our history it is important for women, Black people, indigenous people and all of the different peoples of all kinds that contributed to our history, the development of our great country, to finally be recognized properly. That is part of my teaching in the Q&A following performances. Times have changed from the days of Harriet and Viola, but there’s still a long way to go in some areas. Where can we improve? We can improve first with our education, making it more inclusive, learning our history correctly so that we can determine where we need to go in the future. So long as we pretend certain things aren’t a problem them will remain a problem. That would be a start. I still run into a lot of people who believe there was no slavery in Canada. There was. Right here in the 519-exchange zone there was. Governmental and economic policies over the years have reinforced economic disparities that arose from that. Most people don’t know some of those things. In part, their prejudice comes from this lack of knowledge.
Stone Temple Pilots
New Connection to the 519 With over 50 million albums sold, Stone Temple Pilots roared on to the scene in 1992 with their raucous debut, Core. A breakout success, the album peaked #3 on the Billboard 200 chart, and dominated radio waves with hits like “Sex Type Thing,” “Wicked Garden,” and the GrammyAward winning, “Plush.” STP founding members Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo, Eric Kretz, along with new lead vocalist, Detroit singer Jeff Gutt, released their seventh studio
Photo byJohn Liviero
Story by Dan and April Savoie
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Photo by Alex Kluft
album, Stone Temple Pilots this year. After about a year of silence, Jeff officially joined the band in November 2017 and played his first concert with the band at the infamous Troudabour in Los Angeles. During the year prior to his debut, Jeff was spending time getting to know his new role in the band and to write and record songs for the new album. Jeff is no stranger to the 519, having spent some time on the other side of
Detroit in Windsor and around the area. He loves his hometown and is a big fan of the Detroit Tigers. The band is currently on the road across Canada with Seether and Default and will make an appearance twice in the 519 - Nov. 7 at Budweiser gardens in London and Nov. 10 in Kitchener at Centre in the Square. We spent a little time with Jeff to chat about his new gig and the mighty D.
This Stone Temple Pilots gig so that would be really cool to play must be like a dream come true. there. Yeah it really is. You know I It seemed like a long time from started my life with the band doing all when Entertainment Tonight these things that were originally done announced you as the singer in with other people, but to be able to 2016 and the official announcement help them continue their journey as a came out a year later in 2017. Was fan of Stone Temple Pilots in the first it a long process to fit in? place, and then to be the one actually You know it was a process of us to carrying on that legacy with them getting to know each other as people and helping them move forward, is and making the record happen during just ridiculous. I pinch myself. that time, so all those things, they You stepped on the stage at were better without anyone knowing Freedom Hill this summer, fronting anything. It was a long process but it a cool band. Being on such a big was necessary. stage in your hometown must have Scott was such a legendary been incredible for you. vocalist and front man. Was he an Yeah and it was like a influence on you at all. couple miles from my Oh absolutely, I mean mom’s house. It was I was always the guitar definitely a local player in my band, gig, you know. All until the year, the places around c o i n c i d e n t a l l y, there I used to Core came out. play to be able That was his first Budweiser Gardens to pay my rent record you know. and all the people London Scott had a lot to out there used to offer. I mean he can Nov. 7, 2018 come see me play at be chameleon and different times of my change the character life - it was quite surreal. for each song and what So probably your whole each song needed. And I mean family and all your friends were there are many other vocalists that do there at that concert. that, but he was he was definitely a Oh yeah. I’m glad that went over genius at that. So yeah, things like too, because there was a lot on the that, I really learned from him. guest list and all that stuff. A lot went It must be some pretty big shoes into that show for me. to fill. Freedom Hill is a great venue. Is Yeah, I wear two pairs of socks. there a hometown venue that you’d How about recording the new just love to play and why? album - It seems very much like it Oh Man. Umm, yeah, I’d love to was a group effort. do DTE, everyone refers to it as Pine Oh yeah, it was part of the process Knob. I’ve been to so many concerts of me joining the band, coming in and there but I’ve never played there, singing on some songs that they had
Stone Temple Pilots
finished. Then there was a bunch of stuff we wrote together and it was just that whole process of getting all the songs done in different ways. Some were done from scratch, some were already done. So it was a very organic process. There was no trying to fit square pegs in the round holes; it was just dictate what the music told you to do anyway. So I just went with that. How would you describe this version of STP. Is it different from the line up with Scott or Chester? I wouldn’t know because I wasn’t there for that. I am only here for the time, that I’ve been here. I mean I knew Chester and he was friend of mine, but I never had the chance to meet Scott, but he had a huge influence on my musical journey. So, I just try to honour them and keep their memory alive every night, and just try to do the songs justice. This is an odd and tough question at the same time. Both previous singers are no longer with us, but they were also very troubled. Was there ever a fear that this position is a gloomy one or did you take it on as a positive one? Yes pretty positive for me. I mean real life is what we make of it, so I just try to make the most of the opportunity and make the best of it. Was there a difference recording on this album compared to all the other albums and EPs you’ve done. The pressure must have been greater. I didn’t really think about it that way. To me it was just like making music with people that are amazing musicians. I was beginning at the time and ygrowing with them and starting a relationship with them. That
is about everything because when you’re in a band with someone, it’s a lot like being married, practically. So when you come in as strangers and it comes in cold, you start from scratch, go in with an idea and a goal and you just work every day toward it. You know, it took a long time, but it was it was worth the effort and it was really important for me and for the band. Did anything about being from or living in Detroit make it on to the album somehow even if very subtle? (Laughs) I have not done that. There was a lot more going on than that and a lot more things to say and play with at the moment. Maybe someday I’ll get that in there. They don’t need me to shout out to them, they need to shout out to me. (Laughs) Detroit must have shaped the person and the singer you became. Oh yeah definitely. I spent a lot of time there playing just to survive and pay my bills. Really I was just playing, but it kept me going for this. I’ll be available and ready for this and my voice will be in shape for this. I owe a lot to the city of Detroit. What’s your favourite thing about growing up in Detroit? The Detroit Tigers. Oh Man, when the Tigers win the World Series, that’ll be it for me. You guys are playing in London next month at Budweiser Gardens. What can we expect? Well it’s going to be some amazing tricks from the STP catalog, so we look forward to that and we’re going to play a few of these new songs and maybe a few other surprises. We’re working on a bunch of stuff so yeah I’m excited to get there.
9
Jane Siberry Shares a New Kind of Mimi By Dan and April Savoie Canadian singer/songwriter Jane Siberry is as much a poet and an artist as she is a performer. The eclectic singer, known primarily for the 80s hit Mimi On The Beach, is back on the road and will make an appearance at Kordazone Theatre in Windsor on Nov. 15 and an intimate in-home concert at Salon in London on Nov. 17. Siberry’s work has spanned over three and a half decades and her discography now totals 20 critically acclaimed CDs, including the hits Calling All Angels, Love Is Everything, It Can’t Rain All The Time, Mimi On The Beach and Everything Reminds Me Of My Dog. Her latest album Angels Bend Closer was released in 2016. It’s a bit of a religious statement, even though Siberry says she’s more spiritual than religious. “There’s a huge gap between what I think the man Jesus said and what people espouse in church,” she explained to 519 Magazine in an exclusive interview. “But I do believe in spirit and I’ve always thought nature was the only thing I trusted. So the nature and consciousness and the stars - everything’s connected.
That’s what I would trust the most. missed the view, but we made it” or So I’d call myself more accepting of “you miss the view, but you made it”. spirituality, but not religion. I think That’s a very good example of what I’m pretty typical of a lot of people my stomach does when I work now.” who have done a lot of searching For some, these shows in and who can tolerate London and Windsor might intolerance these days. be a time warp back to This is something the 80s when Mimi was maybe other people lying on the beach in Jane Siberry don’t agree with, but her red bathing suit on Windsor - Nov. 15 including people we television screens via London - Nov. 17 don’t like – people like MuchMusic. Trump - I think we’re all “I would say the connected to each other in shows now are more some way, deep, deep down. intense because I’m doing So to reject someone is to reject songs more directly,” Siberry ourselves or the greater power.” added. “I just feel that’s what feels The spiritual Siberry is one of many right to me and to the people listening. phases she’s had in her career and in I think people are tired of being sung her life. Many of those experiences at rather than sung to - that’s what it and times have made it into her songs feels like to me. I’ll do some older and albums, much like her spirituality songs and I might even do an acoustic became part of Angels Bend Closer. version of Mimi on the Beach, but it “I used to do a lot of songs that changes as it goes into a rebuttal! I were sort of third person and now a love that. I’m Mimi on a surfboard, lot of my songs are first person,” she which people haven’t heard before.” revealed. “Here’s an example of a song Join Sibbery at Kordazone Theatre that started out being “I miss the view, in Windsor on Nov. 15 and an but I made it” and when I write that intimate in-home concert at Salon in title out for like a set list or whatever, London on Nov. 17. Tickets for both I think it sounds like it’s all about me. are limited and can be purchased at I wonder if I could change it to “We janesiberry.com.
Glass Tiger Looks Back at 30 Years of Diamond Sun with Intimate Concerts By Dan and April Savoie
In one of only four Ontario concert dates this winter, 80s pop-rock hitmakers Glass Tiger are bringing a stripped down storytelling show to the Imperial Theatre in Sarnia on Nov. 14. The tour marks the 30th anniversary of the band’s highly successful sophomore album Diamond Sun. We spoke with keyboardist Sam Reid about the anniversary and the tour and asked him what he remembers about that busy time in their career. “Well I remember that I didn’t have a whole lot of time for anything else in my life,” Reid said. “I know that our schedule was pretty steady through the first two albums. Thin Red Line and Diamond Sun albums were both by the time you come off of the touring for the first album you kind of try to go into writing mode and then immediately into recording mode and then you hit you know you’re back out there again. So it was the first three or four years was pretty steady and we didn’t see a whole lot of home at that point.” At the time of the Diamond Sun tour, Glass Tiger’s debut album Thin Red Line had reached an astounding 4-times platinum status in Canada (320,000 copies) and the new Diamond Sun 10 was quickly rising to doublerelease
platinum (160,000). That’s more than enough to make any man feel like a rock star. “You know you don’t stop and ponder when it’s happening, but now when I look back, we had some amazing tours,” Reid recalled. “I wouldn’t say we necessarily felt like rock stars, but we felt like we had accomplished something when we were on the road. Most of our tours at that point in time were trying to get bigger audiences so we opened up for Journey. We opened up for the Moody Blues and then went to Europe and opened up for Tina Turner. The theory was to get us on stage with some of these massive artists and go out there and win them over instead of maybe starting in small clubs and working through America that way. So we spent a lot of time on the road with some of our idols, which was a lot of fun. We were honored to share the stage with all of them.” With such a successful first album and tour, the pressure was really on the band when they went in to record Diamond Sun. “With Diamond Sun the pressure we had was our own pressure to come up with some great songs,” Reid added. “We decided, one of the things to take
the pressure off of us was to keep the same team, so we went back to write with Jim Vallance, who we had all that success with and we asked him to produce again. So by keeping the team intact I think it really helped us dial in and kind of continue along the path that we had set with Thin Red Line. We were delighted when it came out and was well received.” When Glass Tiger hits the stage in Sarnia, Reid said it will be like a giant kitchen party. “We took a slightly more acoustic approach with our last album 31 and we enjoyed it so much we’ve decided that we would go out and play some theatres in more of a stripped down fashion,” he added. “It will have fewer drums and heavy guitars and we’re having so much fun with that. It’s a very unique set up to watch us in because there are some stories and songs. It’s all the hits that you’ll know, but they’re done in a really Imperial Theatre stripped down or up Sarnia - Nov. 14 close personal fashion. It’s more like a kitchen party as they say on the East Coast.” Tickets for the Nov. 14 show at the Imperial Theatre start at $59 and are available at imperialtheatre.net.
Glass Tiger
Singing With Icons Like Uriah Heep Is What Rick Labonte Does By Dan Savoie
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Photo by John Liviero (Sooters)
Disney After Dark
Windsor has known the music of Rick Labonte for years. The local singer/songwriter, who was born with a hearing impairment, has been performing in bands since the early 90s and has enjoyed sharing the stage with Uriah Heep, Tallan Noble Latz and many great local musicians throughout his career. He released his debut album On A Mission in 2016 and is a regular in current performing bands like The Formula, The Blues Side and Rick LaBonte and the Band of Brothers. Rick sat down and filled us in on his life and career in an exclusive and in-depth interview. It’s an extremely long and awesome conversation - to get the full interview, please visit 519magazine.com. In the meantime, enjoy this abridged tale of a Windsor local music icon. Being born with a hearing imparment is something Rick has had to deal with all his life. His hearing is impaired in both ears, but is mainly found in his right ear. He can be found using hearing aids in a
classroom or at a movie, but he never uses them on stage: “The bands I play in are loud enough. I also own decent sound gear to address my needs on stage, if my band was supplying the sound as well as the entertainment. Frankly, everywhere I perform they provide a sound engineer such as Cosmos Lounge in Caesar Windsor - they usually take care of my needs. My personal monitor will be dialed in to exactly what I need to sing in key and to clearly hear the instruments. As a front man, I can move around and find my sweet spot where I can perform without compromising my pitch. When it comes to listening to music, I generally use head phones or play it fairly loud in my vehicle. As a singer, I have to double my effort to learn the lyrics, pronunciations and phrasing. There is no doubt that I have to work harder on my musical journey than some, due to my hearing disability.” The hearing issue has never stopped the performer. His lists of bands throught the years is impressive. Some of the bands Windsorites might remember could include Sensational
Sixties Woodstock Revue, Jukebox Heroes, The Force, Secret Formula, Centerpeace, Shady Characters, Feedback and Soundstorm. When he released his 14-song album On A Mssion in 2016, it was the culmination of years of songs and an abandonded recording from Soundstorm. “I recorded ‘On A Mission’ at Polaris Recording Studio in Windsor, On. This project was originally a ‘Soundstorm’ album in the late 90’s and it was abandoned with a few tracks ‘in the can’ due to the fact, the band had broken up. I felt it was unfinished business. Needless to say, I put this on my bucket list to release an album. In 2014, I decided to preserve the songs that I wrote or collaborated with and complete the album with new songs. The best of both worlds of technology was used to record this album; using analog tape and digital recording process with Pro Tools software.” Check out Rick live throughout the Windsor-Essex region. The Blues Side will be performing with The 519 Band at Rockstar Music Hall on Friday, November 2 for an evening of awesome local blues music.
Cardinal Ready to Stage Dark Disney Classic By Dan and April Savoie A good author can bring the simplest of things to life in ways we’ve never imagined. In his novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, author Victor Hugo describes love in a beautiful and delicious way. He says “Love is like a tree: it grows by itself, roots itself deeply in our being and continues to flourish over a heart in ruin.” It’s a passionate statement. Although dark and moving, love is at the heart of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and this month, Cardinal Music Productions is bringing the Disney classic version to life in its popular musical form starting November 30 in Windsor. Based on the 1996 Disney film and Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame tells the story of Quasimodo, the hunchbacked bellringer of Notre Dame, and his desire to one day become part of the outside world. When he summons the courage to attend the Feast of Fools, he meets Esmeralda, a compassionate gypsy who protects him from an angry mob. But at the same time, Quasimodo’s master, the archdeacon Dom Claude Frollo, and the new captain of the guard, Phoebus de Martin, fall in love with the beautiful girl. 10 Adding to Quasimodo’s struggle is
his punishment and derision from Frollo, following years of psychological abuse, and the danger posed by the gypsies, who are willing to kill any outsiders who venture into their secret hideout. “This show is like a mirror of our society,” says producer and director Joseph Cardinal. “Pretty much everything is in the show is still relevant today; we still have trouble excepting people and things that are different from Hunchback of what we are in our daily life. Notre Dame Then there’s the constant The Green Room struggle with people learning Theatre - Windsor Nov. 30 - Dec. 9 how to have proper relationships with others. Mankind has spent in New Jersey in 2015 centuries attempting to master the after it was announced that it art and yet we seem to constantly come would not move to Broadway. up short. Will we ever get it right?” “The show never made Broadway The original musical premiered because it was too expensive to stage,” in Berlin, Germany in 1999 and was Cardinal explains. “They didn’t feel that performed in German. It was produced they could pay an entire choir and still by Walt Disney Theatrical and became be profitable. I have seen the show and the company’s first musical to premiere I also have seen the shortened version outside the United States. It ran for three that was playing at Disney World. The years, becoming one of Berlin’s longestshow is not like the film at all. The film running musicals. is really dark, but for the live show they The English-language version came changed many things to make it work for to life in San Diego five years later and the stage and live audiences.” eventually closed at another performance
Photo by Kirk Harris (K&M Photography)
Fans will also enjoy stunning music from Disney mastermind Alan Menken who scored The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Pocahontas, as well as lyrics from genious Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Wicked, Pippin). “The score is perfect in every way imaginable,” Cardinal adds. “It is majestic and powerful and yet has the ability to bring you to tears in a heartbeat. The writing is brilliant.” The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a unique musical that won’t make the rounds in Southwestern Ontario very
often, despite being a recognized as a movie and legendary book. “My company is not afraid to take chances on shows such as this, Heathers or Jekyll and Hyde,” Cardinal says. “They’re great shows that deserve to be seen - if we didn’t do them, they wouldn’t be done. I think that is very special.” The Hunchback of Notre Dame will take place at The Green Room Theatre at E.J. Lajeunesse on Nov. 30, as well as Dec. 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9. Tickets are $25 and available at Cardinal Music on Jefferson Avenue in Windsor. 11
Local Musicians Come Together for Kaleb's Kourage By Dan and April Savoie
Jeff
October has been a hard month for 14-year-old Windsor cancer fighter Kaleb Houle, but a group of local musicians, lead by Tea Party drummer Jeff Burrows, is hoping to make things a little bit better. The musicians have teamed up for an evening dubbed Rocking For Kaleb’s Kourage, which is striving to raise money to help his family with the costs associated with treating Stage 4 cancer for the third time. It’s scheduled for Rockstar Music Hall on November 16. “I had read about it on social media not even a month ago,” Jeff told 519 Magazine. “I just thought about how horrible this is. I’ve got three kids of my own and it really makes you think. I decided to try and help them out because I understand what it’s like when you have more than one child, but then you have to add in that they’re dealing with childhood cancer, so the problems can mount. They’ve been traveling back and forth between Windsor and London and Burrow Windsor and Toronto, s but now with the hopes of an experimental process in America, they’ll be dealing with babysitting, travel
costs, hotel costs and so on and so on hitting up his school, parents forth. This is a good opportunity who have kids in his class just to try to help them.” to get everyone out to enjoy the After already working with food, the music, the prizes and doctors in London the bands. We’re just going to and Toronto two try to sell it out and get as times before, many people through Kaleb may the doors as we can. now have I’ve had 500 tickets to travel printed for it, but to the I think from start United to finish we’ll States for probably have Rockstar Music Hall cutting between 800 and Windsor - Nov. 16 e d g e a 1,000 people go treatment. in and out of the His parents building throughout Jennifer and the evening. We’re going Devin are positive to try and raise as much funds and hopeful this treatment, as we possibly can. I know there called CAR-T cell therapy, which might ba a little donor fatigue involves using a patient’s own T at this time of year with all the cells to fight and kill cancer cells, non-stop pounding, but that’s just will work. the way it goes. I’m passionate The concert on November about helping this young man 16 will feature six performers, in his battle against cancer and including The Van Lares, I’m hoping several Windsor Madeline Doornaert, Disaster companies will start to jump on Strike, The formula, Family Soul board. and headliners Itabeth (Is There Along with the Rocking For A Band In The House?) featuring Kaleb’s Kourage, Burrows started Jeff and his friends. Itabeth has a Facebook fundraiser that has appeared sporadically at events already raised nearly $25,000 and has featured guest members (as of Oct. 25). Tickets for the of Big Sugar, Tea Party, The concert are available at Rockstar Experiment, Porcelain Mary, and Music Hall for $20 in advance or Magic Hall of Mirrors among $25 at the door. Visit the Kaleb’s others. Kourage Facebook fundraising “It’s an all-ages event, so I plan page to contribute.
Kaleb’s Kourage
TACKLING MENTAL ILLNESS WITH A LITTLE SONG AND DANCE but I want to try and be more open to conversations.” This year’s Cabaret For A Cause will awareness in our city.” tell the story of a coffee shop and its It’s an affair of the heart and the mind, inhabitants while each of the characters blending both mental health and arts. and stories intertwine. The only common “I think denominator is that everyone is conversations around mental connected by mental health. health need to happen “I still think there is more often,” Toni said. a large stigma with “I am honoured to mental illness, even know some of the though many people best people who in Windsor-Essex weren’t as open have some form with their mental of mental illness,” health as they are Capitol Theare, Toni added. “Some now. In WindsorWindsor - Nov. 9 people aren’t willing Essex, there still to talk about what they is a lot of stigma are going through - and surrounding mental that’s okay. By no means illness and suicide should you feel pressured to and I think the only way talk about your own situation if that’s not we can prevent that is to have more what you want. I just truly believe that conversation and programs in place. I the conversations need to be happening. had to examine my own mental health The CMHA has some fantastic programs after losing my cousin and was plagued in place and the more programs, the by internal questions. I may never know more conversations that are taking place the answers to why things happened,
By April Savoie
When Toni Bruner lost her cousin to a suicide two years ago, she needed an outlet to express herself, so reached out to friends and came up with a plan. The initial grief and shock she experienced was turned into a small musical and theatrical performance at a Suicide Prevention Reach event. The idea eventually turned into an annual charity event known as Cabaret For A Cause - a fundraiser for the Canadian Mental Health Association in Windsor-Essex. “It’s grown from just an outlet for myself to creating a show that directly tells a story about how we are connected by mental illness, big or small and whether we know it or not,” Toni told 519 Magazine. “It’s become more than just a show. We’ve been able to have smaller fundraiser events, like an Improv fundraiser, thanks to Dylan MacDonald, where we had a great time but were also able to have conversations about the importance of mental health and
and the more we can shape and dispel the stigma.” The whole Cabaret For A Cause affair has become more than just a special performance, it’s morphing into a series of arts therapy workshops with mental health and arts industry professionals leading the charge. These monthly workshops will focus on different topics
like dance, visual arts, entertainment tech, acting, writing, all while keeping keen and watchful eye on the mental health issues some of the participants might be portraying or even dealing with in their own daily lives. The project is expected to launch in January 2019. Cabaret For A Cause is happening Nov. 9 at the Capitol Theatre in Windsor.
Cabaret For A Cause
Photo by Maureen Stewart (K&M Photography)
BECOMING JILL AND BARING IT ALL FOR HER CRAFT A memoir of Nicole Coffman’s experience as Jill Mason in Post Productions’ Equus
The role of Jill in Post Productions Equus was not originally mine. I joined the cast and crew give or take 4 weeks before open. I had no audition - only a recommendation from a cast member in a bind. I have not acted since grade school besides some bit parts/extra work in my university days. In more recent years I had done burlesque, spoken word poetry, and stand up comedy, so the thought of a British accent and some hardcore memorization alongside proven
Photo by Elena Pastorius
talent scared me more than being naked in front of Windsor’s art appreciating population. Hoping I could pull something off is much different than actually pulling it off. However, dedication comes in handy. Nikolas Prsa and director Michael Potter came two hours early to every practice to go over my scenes and our blocking. then the rest of the cast and crew would come and we would go into normal rehearsal hours. I spent all my spare time learning the lines and working on my accent. I do believe I was meant to play this role. At first read thought Jill was just a weird sexual horse girl, which yes, she is! (We are all a weird something though, as this play points out). I started by first relating to him because I’ve always liked the “weird one” even growing up. This role forced me into my sexuality. Jill is a catalyst for a terrible event, but also a catalyst that makes everyone question their lives and actions by her own strong will to get what she wants. Micheal said he thought Jill was different from the
characters of Alan and Dr. Dysart because she knew who she was and was confident in herself to go get it. Brave has been a comment others in my life have hurled at me. I continue to be baffled by this. I dislike being called brave. I believe the human body is very much still taboo. On one hand it’s a temple encasing what keeps us alive, and the space in the world we “take up” and some people like to keep it to themselves while others are fine with displaying their temple. I believe every single person is perfect and beautiful as they are in present moment. I use the term protection loosely as it’s usually just a cotton blend that separates us from being truly vulnerable. I used to try so hard to be perfect, or appear perfect, even in traumatic experiences. I think this is people’s trepidation with their own relationship with their bodies and vulnerability. The reality is we are liked and supported more when are not OK and express it. I think it’s just another thing the play highlighted about human interaction. There were nights of sitting on
hard wood upright resisting itches and aches, biting my cheeks so I wouldn’t laugh - we had to channel the London Guard. I could go on for hours about the other actors and their characters and how they changed me but I’m going to stick to Jill for time and point of reference. I’m a touchy feely person myself. I made sure she touched Alan Strang as soon as possible. Her touch was something brought on in the second act and I put it in the first scene together with a quick arm grab. I really wanted to contrast their difference as soon as possible. I made Jill touch the stable owner Dalton (her boss) with a joking hit and Alan’s father with a sympathetic wrist grab. Had she been in any other scenes( even with women) she would of touched them too. Entering my 30’s has been knowing what I want in a general sense and letting it flow to me (like the part itself). I lived her relationship with men in my own life and before I even read the second act I knew it was daddy issues/abandonment. She
owns her sexuality and that is badass. Did she push a bit to hard? Yeah probably, but a lot of people figured out and questioned themselves because of it. I’m happy I’m the one who got to show her that way. A lot of people saw past the nudity in the end and forgot we were naked and so did I. I remember the cast and crew tried to push the nudity as far into rehearsal process as they could to make a newcomer comfortable, but I didn’t want that kind of build up to it. So we went in layers and got down to underwear one rehearsal. The next time I saw Nik we both knew we were ready. Maybe I’m a born exhibitionist. I loved having nothing to hide in a room of people and being loved and accepted for it. In the end, my fear of being the weakest link was broken. The way audiences took to it, was worth all the self doubt, the long days and nights, the fears. I welcome the things Equus (Peter Schaffer), Post productions, the other characters cast and crew have brought to me. And I especially thank Jill for everything she brought into my life.
TBDM is always on the road, even as a young Detroit metal band. The band was often found playing shows around the area, including several across the river in Windsor, Ontario. “We would cross over to Canada and we play a couple shows in Windsor,” he recalls. “This was in the early, early days before we were signed or anything and it was cool. They had a scene that was really cool and was kind of like parallel to Detroit because it was so close. And there was like a tight knit kind of bond between us and Windsor. So it was very cool. And being from Detroit you just kind of like Windsor because it’s nice and clean. The Taco Bell has fries too you know, so what more do you Rum Runners two years will be want?” cutting it close in London - Nov. 14 When it was 2019. released last October, “We’re still Nightbringers became going to have an the best-selling direct-toalbum in 2019, but it consumer pre-order album in will be a little bit later than Metal Blade Records’ history. With the usual fall release, Trevor notes. the success of the album, TBDM’s “We’ve just had such success on this tradition of having an album every record that we’ve been kind of dragging
out the tour cycle a little bit longer than usual just because it afforded certain opportunities that we couldn’t say no to – like the opportunity to play London. I see how fickle people are with music because of all the streaming services and downloading and stuff like that. I feel like its definitely shortened people’s attention spans in the last few years for sure. We’ve been kind of a
response to that,so we record regularly to keep the fans into it. With every record comes new merchandise, new artwork for the fans to be excited about, new songs of course and new tours. It’s our way to constantly stay in people’s minds.” Catch The Black Dahlia Murder on tour in Michigan and Ontario this month. 13
The Black Dahlia Murder Returning to Michigan and Ontario for select shows By Dan and April Savoie Detroit death metal band The Black Dahlia Murder (TBDM) is one of the most consistent rock bands out there. The band has been releasing a new album every two years since their debut album Unhallowed came out in 2003. Currently on tour supporting their 2017 album Nightbringers, the band is heading home to Michigan this month for two gigs (Ann Arbor, Nov. 15 and Saginaw, Nov. 16) and hits the 519 at Rum Runners in London on November 14. Lead vocalist and founding member Trevor Strnad took a few minutes from the road to chat with 519 Magazine about the bands upcoming homecoming gigs. “We pretty much treat the Michigan and Ontario gigs like another stop on the tour,” Trevor says. “I guess that makes us a bad local band, but it’s cool to have this new lineup that we’re bringing to Ontario and Michigan. For Michigan the show will have a bunch of Midwestern bands with us - two of which are from Michigan. It’s cool to give a little back and bring bands from our scene locally out and about with us. Maybe we can redeem ourselves as a local band yet.”
The Black Dahlia Murder
10 FUN QUESTIONS WITH... Without using the word fun, what’s your definition of fun? Laughing, you gotta laugh. Laughter is the best medicine. What’s the most fun you’ve had in the last 24 hours? Oh man...ummm...that’s a good one. I would have to say the most fun I’ve had in the last 24 hours - now I’m trying to remember when I laughed last. That’s a tough one. Well, I will say this. I’m getting there. I’m just trying to remember what I was doing last 24 hours. That’s my biggest problem. I’m with my mom and dad and I’m actually in Alberta right now. My mom and dad were starting to plan with my wife. We have this house in Fairview, Tennessee. My dad’s a carpenter, so we had a bunch of fun we were talking about all the renovations that we could do to kinda build up this house that was built in 1970. We are trying to do some work on it and redo everything, so I would say that was pretty darn fun. What is more fun chocolate or whipped cream? Chocolate; I love chocolate. What was the most fun you’ve ever had watching a movie? I was a huge fan of the Goofy Movie
growing up and I met Goofy a few times just this last year in Disney World and then my wife and I watched an Extremely Goofy Movie on my birthday a couple of nights ago. That was pretty dang fun.
fun but I always have fun in church. It’s always good to learn about how God feels about us.
When was the last time you were made fun of? Oh God, my wife just made fun of me on Facebook. We were at this grocery store and a kid was holding a little trinket that had a definition on it of what makes a good husband. It said they’re always looking for something they can’t find. It was perfect, this kid was looking around and he didn’t even know where he’s looking, so we were laughing. It’s even funnier because we were at the grocery store last week and they didn’t have any of the potatoes that I wanted and they were literally right in front of my face. She was like ‘what about these?’ My wife is usually the first person to make fun of me.
What is the most fun you’ve ever had with your clothes on? (Laughter) I would have to say going to Walt Disney World when I was 32 and I went the first time. I’m kind of a kid at heart. My sister was talking about taking our kids back there next year because that was a blast.
Have you ever had Fun in church? Oh yeah. I love church. The Church that we go to in Nashville is called Cross Point and they’re usually very fun there. I mean I can’t really think of a memory that was you know THAT
What is more fun, a mother in law or going to the dentist? A mother-in-law, for sure.
Not including anything sexual, What is the most fun you’ve ever had with your clothes off? I don’t know if I could think of anything. I mean I’m usually wearing clothes apparently. Yeah, I’m stumped on that one. Has being a country star made you a more fun person? Yeah, absolutely. Life’s a lot easier than it used to be, you know and I’m very blessed to have this life. I know there are a lot of other people out there that would love to be where I’m at, so I do my best every day not take it for granted and just try to have a great time with everybody.
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